real time

1. [techspeak] adj. Describes an application
which requires a program to respond to stimuli within some small
upper limit of response time (typically milli- or microseconds).
Process control at a chemical plant is the canonical example.
Such applications often require special operating systems (because
everything else must take a back seat to response time) and
speed-tuned hardware. 2. adv. In jargon, refers to doing
something while people are watching or waiting. "I asked her how
to find the calling procedure's program counter on the stack and
she came up with an algorithm in real time."